Wednesday, May 26, 2010

So you wanna go see a movie in the Netherlands, huh? I don't know how it is in other countries, but a trip to the movies here in the Netherlands is just a wee bit different than what I was used to in the east coast of the United States. Here's what you can expect if you head to the cinema in the Netherlands.

For most theaters, it's best to reserve tickets ahead of time. Reserved tickets should be picked up no less than thirty minutes before the start of the movie.

Once you've picked up your tickets, head to the snack bar for some munchies for during the film. Candy, popcorn, nachos, ice cream, softdrinks, water, coffee, wine and beer are all available. Yes, wine and beer.

The Dutch do not dub films. So you will see all films with their original sound tracks. What the Dutch do do is subtitle their films. If you're going to see a film in a language other than English or where parts of the film is spoken in another language, a good handle on the Dutch language is very helpful.

About halfway through the movie, they'll stop rolling the film. This is not always done at the most opportune time. It will be another 15 minutes until they begin running the film again. During this break or pauze, you can head to the restroom or to pick something at the snack bar. As someone who constantly has to pee in the middle of every single movie, I was so happy the first time I came to a movie here and didn't have to miss anything in order to take a leak!

Back in January, my younger brother came to visit for a few days. It was his first visit I moved to the Netherlands and and his second visit to the country ever. While he was here, I tried to fill our schedule as much as possible so he could see as much of where I live and life in the Netherlands. We even found time to catch a movie. I've seen a handful of movies since I've been here and even a few before I moved here, so it was very interesting to watch him react to everything.

He was shocked that the Dutch don't have Twizzlers (a favorite snack we shared at the movies in the US), and beside himself at the fact that they served beer. He was not a fan of the pauze and especially not where they stopped it (the actor was in the middle of a word). Though he did take advantage of that time to hop up for a beer.

What was your first trip to the movies in your host country like? Is there anything you miss or wish they would start doing in your home country? What do you think about the idea of an intermission during the film?